Alain Desmier is co-founder and Managing Director of Contact State, an Insurtech used and trusted by insurance distributors and product providers to create better, online customer journeys. Focused on the Life and Health insurance, Alain's business certifies and delivers over 100,000 insurance customer journeys a month. Alain was previously co-founder of E-Finity (now renamed Clark UK), a D2C insurance marketing business, and guided the business from start-up to private equity exit in 2018.

Alan Lakey has been gainfully occupied in the industry since 1978. He's been a financial adviser since 1986 and started the acclaimed CIExpert system in 2012. He is an ex-Director of Adviser Alliance and an ex-Council member of APFA. He also spent eight unhappy years working for an assortment of insurers and distributors and is the winner of 20 awards for advisory excellence. He is the author of Growing Old Disgracefully, a biography of seminal ‘60s rock band The Pretty Things and recently wrote ‘Idiocy in Commercial Life: Practical Ways to Navigate Through Nonsense'.

Ben is the Insight Consultant for Life and Protection at Defaqto. Having occupied a wide range of financial services roles with Defaqto over its 30-year history he is now primarily engaged as the spokesperson for protection, with responsibilities for calculating protection star ratings and service ratings, undertaking consultancy for providers and distributors, leading database developments, and assessing life, income protection and critical illness propositions.

Cameron Roberts is the editor of COVER Magazine, a leading publication for protection and health professionals. In his decade-long career in journalism, Cameron has occupied numerous editorial roles, writing about financial services, the events sector, oil and gas, information services, automation, robotics and travel. In his role as editor, Cameron focuses on how the protection industry is evolving, looking at new products, rising stars in protection, DEI, sustainability and customer care.

Christine is the Managing Director of RedArc, a specialist company providing personalised, long-term help and support to employees, individuals and families suffering from serious illness, disability or bereavement, through its team of highly qualified, registered nurses.

RedArc was the first company to address the non-financial needs of protection customers and their families, something now integral to the majority of protection products in the group and individual markets. RedArc supports people via key protection players such as Royal London, Scottish Widows, Legal & General, Canada Life, AIG Life, Aviva and Aegon as well as via intermediaries and organisations in other sectors such as the Federation of Small Businesses and Unite trade union.

Based in London, with a longstanding career in underwriting Claire has recently added Claims accountability to her remit and is currently at Swiss Re as Head of UW & Claims for UK & Ireland. With over 20 years domestic and international experience across both insurance and reinsurance, Claire is passionate about the value of insurance and sees the role of underwriting and claims as key to ensuring our products are affordable, accessible and sustainable for as many people as possible.

Debbie has been CEO at LifeSearch since November 2021. She leads the largest specialist protection adviser firm in the UK, following a career as a strategic and global financial services executive.

Prior to joining LifeSearch, Debbie was MD for Protection at Liverpool Victoria Life Insurance. She has a wealth of experience in the life insurance industry and joined LV= in July 2019 from MLC Life Insurance, based in Melbourne, Australia where she was General Manager New Business & Change and was previously Chief Underwriting Officer. Debbie played a pivotal role as Group Head of Protection Strategy with Royal London. She was responsible for the successful rebrand and launch of Royal London Intermediary Protection in 2014.

Debbie has held a number of senior management positions at Direct Offices, Reinsurers and BPOs including Swiss Re, AXA and Capita. Her focus has been on creating innovative solutions for the Protection market. From first to market predictive underwriting solutions, to the creation of a condition specific product for customers with diabetes and those requiring mental health support. Debbie has a keen interest in the power of digital and data science, to make propositions relevant and engaging for today’s customers as well as customers of the future.

Emma was Head of Protection & GI Propositions at Sesame Bankhall Group and has worked in the protection market for over 20 years. She has both provider and distributor experience as well as a strong reputation for campaigning for better consumer outcomes and is using that expertise to further strengthen SBG’s focus on helping more consumers access protection cover across both its Sesame and PMS brands. After being diagnosed with breast cancer and becoming a claimant herself in 2019, she’s become even more committed to helping consumers benefit from protection insurance. Emma has been an active member of various industry groups for many years, including the Income Protection Task Force and is a board member of the Protection Distributors Group. She’s also founder and Chair of the Women in Protection Network, an organisation established to support women working within the industry, to encourage more female consumers become more financially resilient and to help ensure our profession is more representative of the society it serves. 

Emma Vaughan has worked in the financial services industry for over 16 years, beginning at L&G as an admin assistant before progressing to work directly with intermediaries in range of protection roles and supported various regions, networks and brokers. She joined British Friendly in 2016 as a National Account Manager for the North East, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as holding the strategic relationships for some the major networks. Emma has more recently been involved in the strategic development of propositions designed to bridge the gap for customers who previously may not have had access to insurance. Emma's role as a Head of Protection Services is to develop the protection proposition for SimplyBiz and Compliance First advisers by working closely with all the product and software providers, adding efficiencies and enhancing the support within all the services available to intermediaries. Emma is passionate about educating customers and delivering better customer outcomes.

Fran is Managing Director of Protection at Aviva, responsible for distribution, pricing, propositions and underwriting philosophy across Group and Individual protection. Fran sits on the Aviva UK Life Executive team and is also a NED on the Aviva L&P Ireland Board.

Fran started her career with Deloitte and is a qualified Chartered Accountant and Chartered Tax Adviser. Fran joined Aviva in the Finance function in 2003 and has held many roles across Investments, With-profits and technical accounting, and finally leading the FP&A function through the Friends Life integration.

With over 25 years’ experience in the financial services industry and a specialist in managing strategic partnerships, Jamie has a proven track record of sales delivery, alongside securing and growing distribution channels. Prior to joining The Exeter Jamie held several senior management positions with Vitality, Aviva, and the Friends Life Group. Outside of work Jamie is a keen swimmer (even swimming the Channel on several occasions) and enjoys spending time with his twin daughters.

Jiten has been in Financial Services since October 2000. Starting in a Call Centre for a Fund Supermarket, he quickly worked his way up to become a Financial Adviser for one of the larger UK Banks. Following redundancy, he has worked as an Independent Financial, Mortgage and Protection Adviser since February 2013.

By understanding the role that Financial Planning plays in the daily life of a client, Jiten strives to deliver Simple, Smart Advice in plain and clear English. His advice is tailored to the unique needs of each client, and when required will implement solutions to help ensure they can achieve their personal and financial goals.

Amongst his many qualifications, he holds the Chartered Insurance Institute’s Certificate in Advance Mortgage Advice and has featured in the top 250 UK IFA’s in The Sunday Times.

Jiten brings with him experience in Mortgage Planning together with a speciality in providing bespoke Lifestyle Protection Planning.

Jo Miller has been a part of IPTF since 2013 working on the Seven Families campaign and providing operational support to members eventually becoming Co-Chair in 2021. Outside of the IPTF, Jo has worked for Protection Review since 2010, latterly as Director of Operations overseeing the running of digital and face to face events and also provides operational support to the Protection Distributors Group. Jo previously worked as an Operations and Account Manager for the Financial Services practice at EY and before that for an international events company.

Katharine Moxham is spokesperson for the group risk industry body, Group Risk Development (GRiD). Katharine works to generate a wider awareness and understanding of group risk products (employer-sponsored life assurance, income protection and critical illness) and their advantages for employers and employees.

Katharine regularly contributes to industry and business publications and debate and her 40 years’ broad-based industry expertise within the employee benefits arena means she is ideally placed for her role as industry commentator.

Katharine also sits on the Steering Group of the cross-industry Access to Insurance Working Group and BIBA’s Access to Insurance Committee.

Kathryn is a specialist insurance adviser working within the personal, business and group life insurance, critical illness cover and income protection sector. She offers advice within the UK and internationally. Kathryn is known for her ability to humanise protection conversations, bringing empathy to conversations with clients, where sensitive matters are being discussed. She also produces videos and a podcast that are used within the insurance sector, by charities and the general public, as a way to educate about ways to access insurance and to challenge mindsets. She also works as a consultant training advisers in protection insurance and offering support in building client recommendations.

Originally a pharmacist, Marcia has 30 years of experience in health and wellbeing, working within organisations including Bupa, SimplyHealth, Lorica and as a service improvement consultant within the NHS.

Marcia was Managing Director of the Health and Protection Division with the independent intermediary Stackhouse Poland, prior to their acquisition by Gallagher in 2019. Last year she revitalised her consultancy and led a business transformation project with an intermediary organisation. She is currently non executive director with Sherwood Healthcare and building her executive coaching practice. Additionally, Marcia served on the executive committee of AMII for three years. She is a Prince 2 practitioner, Change Management Practitioner, a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and serves on the Policy Voice Group at the Institute of Directors, keeping her finger on the pulse with market developments.

Matt joined the intermediated market in 2017, working firstly in distribution at Personal Touch Financial services and subsequently in the provider space as a National Account Manager at eConveyancer. Matt has devoted his energy in the market to build strong relationships that drive good customer outcomes and helping brokers to help their clients and grow their income.

Matt joined PRIMIS Mortgage Network in 2021, re-connecting with Personal Touch following it’s acquisition by the LSL group and he has taken responsibility for both proposition development and strategic relationship management.

Prior to his time at LSL, Matt spent 14 years at NatWest, working through the ranks in branch banking and the mortgage channel of the bank. He held a number of leadership roles at Area, Regional and National level.

Monica Garcia is a health and wellbeing consultant, working in the Life & Health Insurance industry. She offers expert advice on the introduction of evidence based health initiatives to improve customers’ wellness and satisfaction. Monica is passionate about outcome focused rehabilitation initiatives. She brings in a combination of clinical, vocational, and insurance experience to promote best practice. Monica also supports industry initiatives to encourage access to insurance.

Paul is one of the Directors and Co-Founders of protection Specialist firm Vita. He’s worked within Financial Services for over 20 years, and specifically within the Protection space for over 13 years. A passionate advocate of Claims and Customer Outcomes, Paul and business partner Barry Pappin are relentless in ensuring their business is built around the customer being at the heart of all that Vita do.

Peter has a background in Marketing, and has responsibility for Zurich’s engagement in Life industry issues. He is involved in consumer and regulatory developments in the protection and broader financial services market, and chairs the ABI's Retail Protection committee and the ABI’s Long Term Care Working party.

He sits on BIBA’s Access to insurance committee, and in July 2021 was appointed Disability and Access Ambassador for the Insurance industry, a post that reports through to the Disability Unit in the Cabinet Office.

Rose joined Lloyds Banking Group in March 2021 as a Protection Director responsible for leading LBGs protection business across the intermediary, retail & digital channels.

Rose has over 20 years’ experience in the financial services industry in a diverse range of roles, her background as a financial advisor for 10 years has given her real customer insight, and by working with Asset Managers, Intermediaries, Brokers and Insurers, Rose has great knowledge of the insurance value chain.

Rose is a leading figure in the UK protection market and is recognised for her inclusive approach to customer delivery, winning several industry awards and being instrumental in the setting up and launching of the Women in Protection Network

Rupinder Bahra is a highly experienced, multi-award-winning trainer and sales professional with over 23 years of sales and management experience within the Financial Services and Insurance industry.

Rupinder has worked at MetLife for over 10 years. She is currently a consultant working within MetLife’s Global Learning and Development Team and looks after 7 countries within the EMEA region consulting on and managing projects across Agency, Independent Brokers, Direct to Consumer & Bancassurance channels.

She is a key ambassador for Women in Sales and is part of the leadership team for MetLife’s Global Women’s Business Network and more recently WISe (Women in Sales EMEA) connecting women across EMEA and supporting them in their career journey.

Vanessa Sallows is the Claims & Governance Director at Legal & General and has over 30 years’ experience working in the NHS, private industry, and the protection market. Vanessa has responsibility for the claims and clinical area within Legal & General’s Group Protection business and oversight of the Group Protection medical underwriting philosophy. Vanessa is passionate about the psychology of work, what prevents individuals from working during periods of ill-health and helping people return to ‘good work’. Vanessa developed the early intervention, pro-active claims management and vocational rehabilitation approach that Legal & General use to assess & manage their Group Income Protection claims. Vanessa led the implementation of the Mental Health First Aiders (MHFAs) within Legal & General and in conjunction with colleagues developed and delivered Legal & General’s Not A Red Card campaign and the Be Well, Get Better, Be Supported framework that underpins the Group Protection wellbeing strategy and proposition.

Zanele Sibanda is Head of Internal Markets at Towergate Health & Protection. Zanele is a respected industry leader with 20 years’ experience in the insurance industry, specialising in business protection and employee benefits. A recipient of both the Mentor of the Year and Inspirational Leader of the Year awards, Zanele lends a valued and regular contribution to industry forums and judging panels with an eye for detail. Her role in Towergate sees her responsible for delivering commercial partnerships across the Group. Towergate is the UK’s leading independent insurance broking platform and forms part of The Ardonagh Group, an international network of over 220 offices and 10,000 people which incorporates leading brands in both Lloyd’s of London and global markets. Zanele is also a Diploma qualified member of the Chartered Insurance Institute and a member of the Personal Finance Society and the Society of Mortgage Professionals.